UDPATE at 3:06 p.m. CT: No longer take this with a grain of salt. Bruce Feldman, the man who co-wrote a book with Mike Leach, is reporting that The Pirate has an oral agreement to take over at Washington State.
WSU fired coach Paul Wulff on Tuesday.
Pullman, Washington may be the closest thing to Lubbock, Texas Leach could find. It's a remote location in a major conference where Leach should be able to do pretty much what he wants. And they are absolutely desperate for a winner.
This is not an easy gig. The team hasn't been to a bowl game in 2003 when it beat Texas in the Holiday Bowl. Looking at the Washington State bowl section of its media guide, it has 10 bowl appearances total.
I fully expect him to make a similar impact on Pullman as he did in Lubbock.
Either way, this is a good reminder for all of those Texas Tech people who were and remain mad that he was canned a few years ago. His replacement doesn't seem to be doing quite as well. The Tech admins who made this firing possible better start praying Leach doesn't win, and Tommy Tuberville does.
My money is on Leach.
College football is better with Mike Leach in it. It's certainly more interesting.
@MacEngelProf
tengel@star-telegram.com
Facebook Mac Engel
Your coverage of Leach has been great. He was/is a goo coach. He is a big bore but not so much that ambitious schools should stay away from him. I don't love his new school, but he will likely go there and win. I think Tuberville and the Red Raiders will look like idiots. Leach will get it done. And Tuberville needs to be out of coaching altogether. How he ever wound up on anybody's list to coach is anybody's guess.
Go Leach! Love him!
Posted by: Love'n the Leach | 11/30/2011 at 05:43 PM
I'm excited for Leach. He didn't get what he deserved from the Red Raiders. He will do well. (And Tubberville and the Texas Tech admin are going to look like a bunch of buffoons when Leach starts winning)
Posted by: Randy S. | 11/30/2011 at 07:05 PM
I'm a long time Red Raider fan and Mike Leach fan. Of all the schools I envisioned Leach at, Washington State was never on my radar. I think he'll win where ever he goes and Tech will be kicking themselves for kicking him to the curb. Tubberville was probably a safe choice to make the peace after they canned Leach but he can't recruit and he can't win football games. The egg timer is about to go off on his career at Tech. All that said, I still wonder who they will find to follow up Leach.
Posted by: Cal & Beth | 11/30/2011 at 08:42 PM
Mike did a great job at Tech. Mishandled the situation with the James kid but should have only received a reprimand, not lost his job. It's not easy to recruit four and five-star athletes to Lubbock but he got enough of the better athletes, and had the offensive scheme, to be competitive and entertaining every year. Tuberville's days are numbered, and it won't be easy to find another Leach. P.S. Don't get any ideas about trying to woo Gary Patterson!!!
Posted by: Dan Mustarde | 12/01/2011 at 05:51 AM
Tubbyville should have never been hired. Tech needs Leach or somebody just like him. Leach will put Wash State on the map. I thought he'd stay in the south for sure. We miss the Crazy Pirate.
Posted by: Larry H. | 12/01/2011 at 06:57 AM
Love Leach. Couldn't be happier for him. Tubby is everything Leach wasn't. He back slaps and butt kisses the big donars while Leach was too busy scheming.
Posted by: LFDCaptJBB | 12/01/2011 at 09:37 AM
I sickens me to think we lost Leach. It's been a good while and I'm still not over nor do I think most Texas Tech fans are over it. Tuberville is a nice guy but he ain't no football coach. Tuberville represents the type of coach we can expect to get at Tech. We aren't Florida, Texas, Alabama, Notre Dame, or Oklahoma. If we are honest with ourselves, we are a good school with a second rate football program. Leach changed all that. It sickens me to think we cut him loose. He gave Tech a national spot light. We got more publicity, the school brought in more revenue, better students probably, and Leach definately brought in more money to local business's. I wish him well but I don't think I will have the heart to watch him at Washington State. He is a darn good coach and he will win. I wish he was back here.
Posted by: Jake B. | 12/01/2011 at 02:36 PM
Does anybody support Tommy Tuberville??!? Jeeez. I read a lot of sports blogs and nobody any where comes to Tuberville's defense. The guy is getting fielt and deep fried every time his name is mentioned.
See ya Tommy! See ya! Big guy! Maybe u can get some color work on ESPN. I hear craig james is leaving his post to get into politics.
Posted by: JJJ | 12/01/2011 at 05:25 PM
Let's hear for the Crazy Pirate!
Heeeeeeeeee's baaaaaaack!
(Tech fans are going to be sorry they ever fired him. Maybe they can hire Craig James. I hear he isn't doing anything)
Posted by: 9 Tom King, code 4 | 12/03/2011 at 09:58 AM
Red Raider Nation just got a little reder.
We are embarassed and angry.
We should have never let Craig James come between us and our coach. It was stupid. Now Leach is going to do what he does best; graduate kids, help raise young men, and win football games.
The Red Raider Nation is down but not out. Once we get rid of Tuberville, we can get serious about finding a replacement for Leach. (Tuberville was not a replacement, he was a PR move...and a bad one at that)
The Red Raiders will rise again!
Posted by: Red Raider Nation | 12/03/2011 at 11:16 AM
Leach got terminated at Texas Tech for being insubordinate and for abusing a kid who clearly did not belong on Leach's team.
Posted by: Peter M. Arel | 07/26/2012 at 08:49 PM
I remember that at the time Mike Leach got kicked to the curb at Texas Tech there was a LOT of vitriol aimed at Craig James and his family. A TON OF IT. AND 90% OF IT WAS DESERVED!
Posted by: Peter M. Arel | 07/26/2012 at 08:55 PM